Circuit breaker mounting means



June 14, 1949. w. M. SCOTT, JR I 2,472,961

CIRCUIT BREAKER MOUNTING MEANS Filed April 4, 1945 18 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

WILLIAM M. scon, JR.

Mum/1 AT TOR NE Y5 June 14, 1949. w. M. SCOTT, JR

CIRCUIT BREAKER MOUNTING IIEANS 18 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 4, 1945 INVENTOR.

wlllmm M. ScofLun AW .1 S41 ATTORNEYS June 14, 1949. w. M. SCOTT, JR 2,472,961

cIRcuI'r BREAKER uouu'rme mums Filed April 4, 1945 1a Shets-Sheet s IN V EN TOR. \Ahllldm M. Scottdn BY 44% M 44,.

ATTORNEYS June 14, 1949. w. M. sco'r'r, JR v 2,472,961

CIRCUIT BREAKER MOUNTING MEANS Filed April 4-, 1845 V .18 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR William M. -Scqfl,dn

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CIRCUIT BREAKER MOUNTING MEANS l8 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 4, 1945 INVEAITOR. Wllhdm M. $cofl,dn

ATTORNEYS June 14, 1949. w. M. sco'r'r, JR 2,472,961

CIRCUIT BREAKER MOUNTING MEANS Filed April 4, 1945 18 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR. Wllladm M. 5C0",UP.

V LM ML $51.4

ATTORNEYS June 14, 1949. w. M. scoTT, JR 2 99 CIRCUIT BREAKER MOUNTING MEANS Filed April 4, 1945 18 Sheets-Shift 7 In (I) N do u.

INVENTOR.

r wmmm M. ScolLdn. Q Q BY AW M1 44 ATTORNEYS June 14, 1949. w. M. SCOTT, JR

CIRCUIT BREAKER MOUNTING MEANS Filed April '4, 1945 18 Sheets$heet 8 INVENTOR. Willldm M.cofi.dn

ATTORNEYS June 14, 1949. w. M. sco'rT, JR 2,472,961

CIRCUIT BREAKER MOUNTING MEANS Filed April 4, 1945 18 Sheets-Sheet 9 INVENTOR- wllllam M. ScolLdn.

ATTORNEYS June 14, 1949. l w. M. SCOTT, JR 2,472,961

CIRCUIT BREAKER MOUNTING MEANS Filed April 4, 1945 18 Sheets-Sheet 1O A TTOR NE YS June 14, 1949. w. M. SCOTT, JR

CIRCUIT BREAKER MOUNTING MEANS 1a She ets-Sheet 11 Filed April 4, 1945 INVEN TOR Wlllldm M.5cofl,dn "Md ATTORNEYS June 14, 1949. w. M. SCOTT, JR 2,472,961

CIRCUIT BREAKER MOUNTING MEANS Filed April 4, 1945 1a Sheets-Sheet 12 INVENTOR. wluldm M. ScqMdv.

ATTORNEYS June 14, 1949.

W. M. SCOTT, JR

CIRCUIT BREAKER MOUNTING MEANS 18 Sheets-Sheet 13 Filed April 4. 1945 INVENTOR.

WlHldmM. ScoILUP.

@W W1 ya ATTORNEYS June 14, 1949. w. M. scoTT, JR 4 2,472,961

CIRCUIT BREAKER MOUNTING MEANS Filed April 4, 1945 18 Sheets-Sheet 14 INVENTOR.

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ATTORNEYS June 14, 1949. w. M. SCOTT JR CIRCUIT BREAKER MOUNTING MEANS Filed April 4, 1945 18 Sheets-Sheet 15 .1 INVENTOR.

Wlllldm M. Scoftdn (QW M! $544 ATTORNEYS June 14, 1949. w. M. SCOTT,JR

CIRCUIT BREAKER MOUNTING MEANS I 18 Sheets-Sheet 16 Filed April 4, 1945 INVENTOR. wllhem M. Sqo'hdn.

ATT RNEYS June 14, 1949. w. M. SCOTT, JR 2,472,961

CIRCUIT BREAKER MOUNTING MEANS Filed April 4, 1945 1a Sheets$het 17 OPE" l 406 Fig 20 407 368 CLOSED POSITION IN VEN TOR. wlllldm M. ScoILdr.

BYMM%L ATTORNEYS June 14, 1949. w. M. sco'r'r, JR ,961

CIRCUIT BREAKER MOUNTING MEANS Filed April 4, 1945 18 Sheets-Sheet l8 COLLAPSED INVENTOR. Wllhdm M. ScoILdn ATTORNEYS Patented June 14, 1949 2,472,961 CIRCUIT BREAKER MOUNTING MEANS William M. Scott, Jr., BrynMawr, Pa., assignor to I. T. E. Circuit Breaker Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application April 4, 1945, Serial No. 586,574

8 Claims. (Cl. 200-168) My present invention relates to switch gear, and more particularly to circuit breakers arranged to be constructed for simplified manufacture and assembly from a plurality of unit assemblies.

This invention further contemplates the arrangement of a circuit breaker so that it may readily be supported from a steel panel, being electrically isolated therefrom by a plurality of insulating elements each specifically adapted to support a particular unit or assembly on the steel panel.

This circuit breaker is also so constructed that it may readily be operated in a closed steel compartment aligned with a multiplicity of other compartments in a switchboard in which the compartments are in close juxtaposition to each other.

The unit assemblies of which this circuit breaker is constructed comprise essentially (1) a stationary contact assembly including blow outmeans and stationary arcing horn which assembly is individually and separately secured to the steel panel through its particular insulating support; (2) an arc chute assembly which is adapted to be readily independently mounted on the circuit breaker in appropriate cooperating relation with the stationary arc chute assembly; (3) a movable contact assembly which is arranged to be supported from the steel panel by its own separate support; (4) an over-current trip assembly which is supported from the steel panel also by its own independent, individual insulatingsupport; (5) a movable contact operating assembly comprising mechanisms enclosed in a separate housin which in turn may be readily secured as a unit to supports extending from the steel panel, and-readily connected by a single pin and'cotter pins to the movable contact elements;

(6) a hold-in assembly in a separate housing readily secured to the contact operating assembly; and ('7) a controlswitch assembly readily and independently secured to a portion of the support which carries the contact operating assembly.

A primary object of the invention, therefore, is the construction of a circuit breaker so arranged a that it may be readily manufactured and assembraced in individual unit assemblies may readily 2 be interchanged with similar unit assemblies of other circuit breakers, so that the circuit breaker construction as a whole is peculiarly adapted to mass production methods and procedures.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of a steel supporting panel for the parts of the circuit breaker.

This steel panel mounted behind each circuit breaker and in front of the buses serves to make the switchboard a dead front" switchboard with all the attendant safety features.

A further object of this invention is the provision of novel insulating supporting elements for supporting different parts of a circuit breaker.

' Another object of the present invention is the provision of an operating means for closin and tripping the circuit breaker.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a hold-in means for holding the circuit breaker closed against over-current conditions when the circuit breaker is not intended to trip.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a manual tripping means.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a shock-absorbing means in connection with the trip unit of the circuit breaker, so arranged as to adapt a circuit breaker to appropriate sequential operation in a cascaded circuit breaker system, and to prevent the circuit breaker from tripping open against unexpected physical shocks under any circumstances. I

The foregoing and many other objects of the present invention will become clear from the for; lowing description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective with parts ofthe circuit breaker removed, showing the circuit breaker of the present invention; V

Figure 2 is a front view of a steel panel for supporting parts of thecircuit breaker, with the parts of the circuit breaker removed therefrom;

Figure 3 is a rear view of the steel panel of Figure 2 Figure 4 is a front view of an individual insulator member for supporting the stationary contact assembly of one pole on the stationary panel;

Figure 5 is a back view of the insulator support and assembly of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a front view of the trip'unit assembly of the circuit breaker of Figure 1, showing the individual insulator support {or supporting the same on the steel panel;

Figure '7 is an expanded view of the trip unit assembly of Figure 6;

Figure 81s a view in perspective of the arc chute assembly of Figure 1.

Figure 8A is an expanded view of the arc chute assembly of the circuit breaker of Figures 1 and 8.

Figure 9 is a rear view, partly broken away, of a steel cross-shelf to be secured to the front of 3 the steel panel for carrying the housing of the movable contact operating unit;

Figure is a cross-sectional view taken on line Ill-I0 of Figure 9 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 11 is an expanded view corresponding to that of Figure 9, showing the manner in which the supporting cross-shelf for the tripper bar of the circuit breaker is assembled;

Figure 12 is an expanded view of the movable contact assembly;

Figure 13 is a view in perspective of the movable contact assembly;

Figure 13A is a fragmentary view in perspective of the movable contact element;

Figure 14 is an expanded view corresponding to thoseof Figures 9 and 11, showing the steel shelf which supports the operating mechanism, showing, however, the front of the steel shelf and the manner in which the operating mechanism, in its unit assembly, is mounted thereon;

Figure 15 is a view in perspective of the front of the steel support shelf of the circuit breaker, showing the operating mechanism secured thereon;

Figure 16 is a view in perspective of the operating mechanism for the circuit breaker with the housing thereof broken away to reveal the elements thereof;

Figure 17 is an expanded view of the elements and linkages of the operating mechanism of Figure 16;

Figure 18 is an expanded view of the hold-in and shock-absorbing unit assembly for the operating mechanism of Figures 15 and 1'1;

Figure 19 is a. view in perspective;with a portion of the housing broken away, showing the assembled shock-absorbing and hold-in mechanisms;

and

Figures 20-23 are schematic views showing successive steps in the operations of the operating mechanism of Figures 15 to 17.

Referring now to Figure 1, there is here shown the novel circuit breaker of the present invention. As seen more particularly in Figure 1, the circuit breaker 3|) is composed of a plurality of unit assemblies which comprise (1) a stationary contact blowout and are horn assembly 3| (2) an arc chute assembly 33; (3) movable contact assembly 34; (4) the over-current trip unit assembly 35; (5) the operating mechanism assembly 36; (6) the hold-in and shock-absorbing assembly 31; and (7) the control switch assembly 268. The circuit breaker as shown in this figure, is a three-pole circuit breaker in which three stationarycontact assemblies 3| and three are chute assemblies 33 are provided. The movable contact assembly 34 is provided with three movable coning means 31 is required.

Steel support panel I The circuit breaker 30 is supported on a steel panel 40 which is shown more specifically in Figures 2 and 3. Figure 2 shows the front of the steel panel 40, and Figure 3 shows the back thereof. Panel 43, as is readily seen in Figure 2, is of traylike construction with a pair of horizontal flanges 4|, 42 and a pair of vertical columns 43, 44 formed by bending the material of the panel rectangularly at the vertical edges into a U-channel with the corners squared. After the vertical columns 43, 44 are formed, the bending up of the horizontal flanges 4|, 42 completes the tray-like structure, as seen in Figures 2 and 3. The vertical columns 43, 44 have a plurality of spaced openings 46, 48 in which are secured the spacers 41, 41. The spacers 41, as seen inFigure 3, are contained entirely within the channels or columns 43, 44 and extend rearwardly of the front face of the channels or columns. The spacers 41 furnish appropriate securing means for securing the panel 40 either to a stationary. wall on or in a switchboard, or to the movable frame of a compartment.

The main body 50 of the steel panel 40 'is provided with a plurality of openings 5|, 5| aligned horizontally adjacent the upper end thereof, the said openings being provided to receive the back connection stud hereinafter described, for the stationary contact assemblies 3|. Where the circuit breaker is constructed as a three-pole circuit breaker, then obviously, three such openings 5| will be provided. 7

Likewise, the lower portion of the main body 50 of panel 40, is provided with a plurality of openings 52, 52 to receive the lower back connection stud hereinafter described. Here too, in the case of a three-pole circuit breaker, three such openings 52 are provided.

The vertical columns or channels 43, 44 are provided primarily for reinforcement of the panel as a whole, and the panel is made in the form of atray defined by the channels 43, 44 and the flanges 4|, 4: in order to rigidity and strengthen the unit. The panel'flanges may of course be welded together, and as shown particularly in Figure 3, it may be reinforced in any suitable manner 25 by a steel strip 54 welded or otherwise secured across the back. The steel strip 54 is shown as having a bead 55 in order to further rigidity the strain. In appropriate cases, in order to avoid magnetic effects, the strip 54 may be of stainless steel. While the strip 54 is shown across the approximate center of panel 40, it will be obvious that any appropriate number of such strips, may be used as required, and spaced from each other as required.

Each pair of openings 5|, 52 is connected by a slot 51, 51 in order to reduce eddy current effects in the main section 50 of the steel panel 40, which eddy current effects would serve to increase the heat generated in the panel.

In appropriate cases, non-magnetic materials may be used for panel 40, such as non-magnetic steels, aluminum sheets, magnesium sheets, and any other strong non-magnetic material.

The smaller openings shown in the main section of the steel panel 4|! are for the reception of various bolts and other seeurement means for securing the various assemblies and their supports rigidly to the steel panel.

Another and important element of my circuit breaker construction is in the use of a steel panel 40 acting as an enclosure for the bus connections behind the steel panel, so that the switchboard becomes essentially a dead front switchboard owing to the fact that all of the circuit breakers are. backed up by the steel panels. The construction of the steel panel and circuit breaker mount- 

